Identity is not one thing: someone may identify as woman, straight, black, political, conservative, a lover of death metal, cheese aficionado and X Files-junkie all at once.

If you have ever been online, there’s a good chance that you may have actively cultivated a very specific identity: on Facebook or Instagram; when creating an online dating profile; when playing a MMORPG; while participating in a forum; when blogging.

Who are you online? Do you go by a different name? How do you express yourself? Do you travel in different circles, engage with an online community which is different from your offline life?

How do you look online? Do you look like your physical self, or are you a fictional character? Does your online self have a particular dress style? Do you identify as a specific race, gender or sexual orientation when you are online? Do you endorse certain brands or engage in particular activities which illustrate your identity?

Who are we?

The Online Identity Project was started by Virginia Streit, who has a long-held fascination for digital cultures and posthumanism. In 2015 she completed a Master’s Degree in Communication, during which her research focused on identity building in online dating environments and MMORPGs.

The Online Identity Project is not affiliated with any academic institution or corporation, nor is it run by journalists, or professional researchers. This not-for-profit initiative was born out of curiosity about what makes our online environments so diverse and vibrant, and perhaps as an antidote to suggestions about the negative implications of technology on our society.

Get involved!

We are seeking participants who are willing to submit their identity-building experiences to us via the below form, or – even better – answer some questions about their online identity/ies. Interviews and submissions of text and visuals (photographs, avatars, game character screenshots, illustrations, etc) will be published publicly on this website to form a visual collage and illustrate the diversity of identity online.

The Online Identity Project is part visual art project and part investigation into online society and culture. It is an opportunity to express yourself.

Fill in the form below to take part!

Mandatory fields are indicated with *

What should we call you?*

You don't have to give us your birth name - it can be the name you go by in online chat forums or the name of your main character in a game, or whatever other handle or nickname you identify with.

Contact email*

We need this in order to get in touch with you about your participation in the project, however it will never be published publicly or shared without your consent.

Share your online identity experiences here:

Would you agree to an interview, or would you like us to send you some questions to answer in your own time?